


satellites: coalescence

by hyperloop



Series: satellites [8]
Category: Original Work, Satellites - Fandom
Genre: Other, he's beauty, he's grace, his robot gets sent back to space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 09:37:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14352804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyperloop/pseuds/hyperloop
Summary: well, uh, salem and cambria finally meet, and then they all have sort of a change of heart.





	satellites: coalescence

**Author's Note:**

> i cant believe ive churned out yet another robot trash story

_Satellites: Coalescence_

 

_. . ._

 

The chatter on the TV in front of the bed was loud enough to wake someone up from their sleep, but not loud enough for a robot to hear it, apparently. Salem peeled open his sticky eyelids and listened to the gobbledygook from the TV. It didn’t make sense yet, and he was a little peeved because it had the audacity to wake him. It reminded him of the days he spent sick on the sofa in the basement as a kid, waking again and again to whatever program that came after the one that put him to sleep.

 

He rolled over, still in the bathrobe from the night before, and mashed his face into a pillow. Renegade sat up in the bed next to him with its knees up, still wearing its suit. It turned its head at Salem. “Good morning.” It chimed. “Hi…” Salem responded unceremoniously. “How are you feeling?” It said. “I’ve felt worse.” He sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair which was a mess because he fell asleep before giving it proper time to dry. “A lot worse, actually.” He gave a lowly grin. He glanced around the room and cracked his neck. “How about you?” He asked Renegade.

 

“I don’t really know what the feeling is called, but this search party thing has gotten to me.” “Search party?” Salem’s sleepy morning calmness broke. “I’ve been watching the news.” Salem turned to the TV. From what he gathered, many people are now under the control and rule of Vendetta and it’s sent people out all across town to search for both of them. “Well, this isn’t ideal.” “Oh, and some other forces from beyond seem to be getting involved as well. This Earth hunt is a big deal. From what I can tell, they’re in the process of hijacking the entire planet. That means weather control, and no privacy. Essentially, stuff will really start to feel like a simulation around here. It might drive us crazy.”

 

Salem gulped and rubbed his sweaty hands on his face. “We gotta get out of here, hmm?” He moaned out. “Perhaps.” Renegade stayed quiet, as if holding something back. “There will soon be artificial borders closing in on us that detect a special type of alien technology, as well as human life. Soon they may reach us here. I know I’ll have to go fight back eventually…” Renegade’s face had a flustered demeanor. “But until then, let’s have some fun, shall we?” It rolled out of bed and onto its feet. “Heh, sure.” Salem changed into the clothes he wore yesterday that still sat damp on the bathroom floor. The two of them left their room to head to the lobby, perhaps to find something to eat. They walked to the entrance and rounded a corner and there was Mari, sweeping some dust on the floor.

 

“What’s up, Mari?” Salem approached him, not wanting to alarm the boy. “Oh hey guys! How’d you sleep? And nice suit, Ren, you look cool.” He said, turning around. Renegade nodded and smiled. “Well, thank you.” Salem responded. “You boys want something to eat? Breakfast is in the cafe. I would say that pickings are slim, because we’re running low on supplies, but it’s not like you have any competition for the food in there, so take what you please.” “Sounds good.” They nodded and went into the cafe, where they saw sloppily placed, haphazard arrangements of various breakfast foods, like muffins, bagels, cream cheese, and a few cereals. The room was completely empty aside from him and Renegade, but it looked messy, there were downed pillows and TV screens with nothing but static, giving an almost apocalyptic vibe that he must’ve missed on last night. The air tasted and smelled like an odd combination of dust and house cleaner. Salem picked a small carton of Crunchy O’s out and another carton of milk from a humming mini fridge, and poured the milk in the cereal. He sat down at a table next to Renegade and realized that he didn’t procure a spoon. He stared down the cereal with visceral disappointment.

 

“Where do we go from here?” Salem said, with melancholy in his voice, as he ate the milky cereal out of the carton, leaving a sticky white ring around his lips.

 

“Isn’t it strange? It feels like the world is shrinking, yet we still have so much to finish.” Renegade responded. Salem poured the cereal into his mouth and belched loudly. “Yep.” He said. Silence.

 

After the natural momentary pause life’s succession, Salem turned his head to see around the room while knocking his fist on the table boredly. He took a breath in. “I think I’d like to go get some fresh air. Come with?” Renegade nodded. Salem grabbed his empty cereal carton and tossed it in a trash can with a _clink!_ As he walked back the lobby, to see Mari tapping away at the computer on the front desk. When they got near the door it automatically slid open and a rush of chilled air hit them in the face, enough to make Salem flutter his eyelids in surprise. When they walked outside, it was definitely colder than it had been the previous few days. “What’s up with this wacky weather??” He said, hugging himself. A breeze drifted through the trees which still looked, for the most part, green and lively. A few leaves were knocked loose, nonetheless.

 

They turned around to see the main road leading to the motel. There were a few other abandoned buildings around and many trees. The sky was gray. They walked out into the road and looked down it as far as they could see. The last thing they saw was a reddish pinkish wall. You could still see through it, the wall was artificial and looked as if it was made of pixels in the thin air. Salem looked up to see where it began but all he saw were dark clouds. He turned around and saw no red wall on the other side of the town, but he had a gut feeling that his home city was already in it. “Ren, what’s the pink stuff?” “They are wasting no time trying to find us, huh.” “What do you mean??”

 

“This is the stuff I was talking about earlier. That detects life. They’re going to find us eventually. So I think we should enjoy ourselves while we can. What do you want to do?” Frankly, Salem was almost offended by Renegade’s suggestion that they should be having “fun” with this. “I… What?!? I don’t thi--” His phone vibrated, which was still in his pants pocket. “Agh.” He took it out with vigor and unlocked it. He saw some new messages from Cambria, who was still typing more messages.

 

[9:37 AM] circuit: salem

[9:37 AM] circuit: are you and ren gonna be ok?

 

She was still typing, but those messages were simple yet ominously fear evoking enough to fill him with the dread of knowing that she potentially knew something scary that he didn’t.

 

[9:38 AM] circuit: things are getting weird for me over here too. but i know they’ve started searching for you and they’re sending out drones of some sort to look for you and ren. i’m not sure how much longer you’ll have alone. please be careful, i’d love to help you in any way possible…

 

[9:38 AM] circuit: this sounds weird but i’ve always thought i’d be able to meet you one day. i’d like to, some time before it all ends.

 

Salem felt a jolt of mixed emotion pierce through him. It took him little time to figure out what he needed to do.

 

[9:39 AM] salem: I’m coming over.   
  
[9:39 AM] circuit: what?

 

[9:39 AM] salem: Im coming for you, tell me where you want me to meet you. I’ll be there.   
  
“Ren, remember Holly? You said it could teleport, right?” “I’m not sure I would call it teleportation exactly, but it can move your--” “That’s all I needed to know. We’re gonna go meet Cambria.” “I can teleport too, you know. Save some of Holly’s power.” “Even better! But we should get some supplies first.” Salem walked back toward the motel and Renegade followed.

 

“Welcome back. What’s it like out there? The weather looks unusual.” Mari questioned them as they entered. “Just a little breezy, don’t you worry. We’re going on an adventure.” Salem said. “Where to?” “Oh, like, you know… I’m just meeting an old friend.” “Well if you want to take some stuff before you go, it’s all yours. Be my guest.” Mari seemed in a state of lax, nonchalant pleasure. A little odd, but Salem was happy if he was happy. Salem ran to the cafe and took some more cereals. He then followed Renegade back to their room. Renegade lead Salem to the room where it got its suit, and he discovered some more clothing to take with him. He shoved some other basic necessities into his oversized hoodie pockets. Lastly, they went into their room, and Salem grabbed Holly off of the nightstand. Salem checked his phone for Cambria’s reply.

 

[9:45 AM] circuit: i’m under the bridge, at the snack table right now. you know, the one by the stream. i’ll wait as long as i can…

 

[9:45 AM] salem: on my way

 

As he came to terms with what exactly he was doing, his heart fluttered and he shivered with anxiety. He’s never met someone from the internet before, but at this point that wouldn’t even rank top five on “weirdest things that have been happening recently”. It made him feel funny nonetheless. Especially considering someone that he’s been close friends with for such a long time. He always imagined he’d get to see her someday, but he never thought these would be the circumstances. “Are you ready?” Renegade asked Salem, who was staring down at his phone. He breathed in and slapped his pockets to dispel the fear that he could be forgetting something important. “Let’s say goodbye to Mari. I’m not sure that we’ll see him again.” Renegade’s little smile turned over. “Yes, let’s.”

 

They walked back down to the lobby where they saw Mari pacing by, looking through the windows. “Mari…!” Salem called. “Ah, hey guys.” He said. “Thank you so much. For everything.” Salem looked at him with a grin and weary eyes. “You’ve been so kind, my friend. Keep it up, it might be just what this world needs.” Renegade said and took Mari’s dark skinned hand in its metallic one, brought it to its mouth, and kissed his hand. Mari giggled. “Hehehe, thank you, Ren! Ah, if this is goodbye, I’ll miss you guys. Good luck on your journey.” His voice cracked audibly. Salem leaned in and hugged Mari, who sniffled a little. He let go, looked at Renegade, and gestured outside. “Shall we?” Renegade nodded.

 

“Go on… Save the world! I believe in you guys.” He yelled. Salem turned and winked at Mari, and then they headed out the door. “What a nice kid. I only hope he makes it.” Renegade said. “Yep. Now let’s go see Cambria. So, do I have to sit in your arms for this again or what?” He laughed nervously and rubbed his clammy hands together. Before he could think anything else, Renegade picked him up with its arm under his knees and back. “Are you ready?” It asked. “I’ve never been readier.”

 

Renegade’s eyes glowed with a brighter purple and its aura soon began to grow around them both even stronger. Salem closed his eyes and and rested his head on Renegade’s arm, tilting his glasses. He began to feel weightless, he glanced down and saw that he was lifted slightly off the ground, the image of which soon faded and he closed his eyes again. There was a flash and he felt his stomach drop as they traveled through the planes of space. His hair stood on edge and his head spun as he prepared for landing. In this, Salem did realize that he never told Renegade specifically where they were going. Uh oh. Too late now…

 

Salem felt the motion cease and become heavier once again. He hadn’t noticed either how tight his grip was on the poor robot, digging his fingers into it. He could finally see. He looked around through the purple aura and felt them both drop to the ground with Renegade landing on its feet, and the aura was gone. They looked around. Renegade seemed to have materialized them in a woodsy area with a dirt path nearby. It smelled very natural, but the trees looked like they were weeping. Renegade set Salem down on his feet. “Where are we?” He asked.

 

“Cambria is nearby.” Salem felt a jolt of anxiety through his legs. “How do you know??” He whispered aggressively. “I know these things, Salem.”

 

He looked around some more and up to see a big gray sky, but no domes or anything like that, which he supposed was a good sign. “Go on, let’s explore.” Renegade said. Salem looked at it and rolled his eyes and walked slowly along the dusty, uneven dirt path and Renegade followed, but a distance behind, on an independent stroll.

 

Walking along the path with no idea what to expect was a little bit frightening, but he had faith that Renegade wouldn’t have made a mistake. As they walked further, they could hear a babbling stream. And then Salem staggered up a slight incline and saw a stone bridge. He felt an apprehensive breath rise on his throat but he suffocated it with some affirmative words and slid down the incline of a hill, lined with dead leaves. Under the bridge he saw two stone platforms on both sides of the stream the bridge covered, and on one there was a picnic table with a girl sitting by herself and facing the other direction. “Oh my god…” Salem whispered to himself, swallowing hard. He’d seen pictures of Cambria before, why should he be surprised?

 

He walked in baby steps as not to make any noise until he was right behind the table. Quick, think of something cool to say before she notices you there!

 

“Nice weather for a robot apocalypse, hmm?” He couldn't believe he spoke. The girl turned around. “S... SALEM??” She coughed out. He couldn’t hold back an enormous smile anymore. “Hey Cambria!” She jumped up and brought her hands to her mouth with wide eyes. “Oh my god...” She walked over and wrapped her arms around his torso. Salem was surprised by her tight grip and the curvature of her body, not to mention that she was the same height, if not even a little bit taller than him. He hugged back.

 

She felt different than he had imagined, but he didn’t know why. Her hair is (and typically has been) heavily dyed, this time with blue as dark as the depths of the ocean in the roots, blending in a pure old white on the ends. At this point he’s seen pictures of her hair in so many different styles, he didn't exactly know which was natural, but now it was straight, with blue to white bangs down and the rest carried in a high ponytail. She had blue eyes and a lovely smile, and she wore a charmingly cute vanilla and black colored hoodie that had cat paws on the sleeves and cat ears on the hood, and blue jeans with tiny tears by the thighs and black boots.

 

“Agh, I’m so glad you’re okay. The fact that you exist just amazes me. In the best way possible! Where’s Ren? Did you bring your robot friend? I’d be happy to meet it! Sorry, so many questions!” She almost looked like she was holding back her own excitement.

 

“It’s alright, I’m glad to be here. That’s a fantastic question, though. Where IS Ren??” He backed up to look behind him. He looked up and saw two legs dangling right above him, hanging over the bridge. “Ren! Come here!” He yelled with enthusiasm. “I don’t bite, you know!” Cambria giggled. Renegade slid down off of the bridge and landed on its feet and turned to look at her. “Pleased to meet you, Cambria.” It extended a more human looking hand to her. She took it with both hands and shook vigorously. “Hello, Ren! So happy to see you!” The robot was pleased.

 

“Come along, I’ll show you around. We’re pretty much a ghost town at the moment, anyway.” Cambria climbed up the hill and paced slowly along the bridge while Salem and Renegade followed. “So, what do you know about the search party?” Salem asked. “Not much. All I hear is what’s on the news,” She turned around but continued walking as she spoke. “But I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about what I’ve seen.” Salem jogged up to walk side by side with Cambria. “Eh. Like, I mean, I just need to know where not to go. At this point I have assumed naturally that the glowing pink dome is off limits.” “Glowing pink dome? I’m almost afraid to ask.” “Back at home there’s something in the sky pushing in on a certain area, Ren said it’s a special technology being used to detect us.” “That sounds so scary!” Cambria brought her hands to her face. A gust of breeze quaked the trees around them and a few sporadic snowflakes fell from the sky. Strangely enough, neither of the two felt chilled or colder than an early spring day.

 

“Here’s the town. This is where everything connects around here.” She pointed right ahead of them at a gas station. “This is the shop where I just walk to to get drinks during the day. Lovely people there.” They walked to the window and peered in, it was desolate and all of the TVs showed static. Salem sat down on a metal bench in front of the shop and Cambria sat down with him. The metal of the bench caused goosebumps to rise on his thighs. He took a hot breath out and saw the puff of air escape him, but he still didn’t feel that cold. Cambria grinned at him. “It’s so pretty when it snows here. Don’t you think?” She rested her delicate hand on his knee.

 

The snow fell with more vigor and it was quiet enough to hear the patter of the flakes on the ground, a soft litany. “Yeah. It’s really nice. It’s nice that we can have these moments, I haven’t felt the calm still of nature in some time because I haven’t gotten the chance to.” He said.

 

Cambria laid her head on Salem’s shoulder. “It’s nice that I can spend some time with you while I can, but I don’t think it’ll last forever. People are already after you. They say you have blood on your hands.” His eyes opened wider, and with that some of the anger and resentment he had quelled inside began to surface. He grunted audibly. “Who said that?” He asked.

 

“Well, people are being killed and held hostage because they don’t know where to find you. People’s families are being destroyed, and they’re just all too eager to point their fingers at whatever they can.” Her voice was unsteady. “People like you and I know well that your heart is in the right place. But they just want answers before the other robots tear humanity to shreds.” He gritted his teeth.

 

“Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you these things, but I had a feeling it’s no secret.” He lifted his head up away from Cambria’s and put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, pulling them through his thick hair. Cambria moved closer and put her arm over him, feeling his breathing. He made some pitiful sobbing noises, and then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. His body shook with a chill, the kind you get when you receive bad news. “Is there somewhere you need to be? I’m really sorry if I upset you…!” She had regret in her voice, and Salem instantly knew that she meant no harm. “It’s okay, I just… oh.” He grumbled out, lifting his head out of his hands and putting one in his pocket to look at his phone. He turned it on and saw a series of messages from Gale.

 

[11:06 AM] Gale Daltroy: Salem, I don’t know where you are, but we need you back home.

 

[11:06 AM] Gale Daltroy: It’s me, I promise, I wouldn’t be asking out of anything other than sheer desperation at this point.

 

[11:06 AM] Gale Daltroy: The robot that calls itself “Vendetta” is making claims on us, we’re being threatened. We’re being held captive until the robot that calls itself “Renegade” shows itself. Or at least that’s what I’ve heard.

 

[11:07 AM] Gale Daltroy: I trust you, but this might be the last chance I get to communicate with you before the conditions get any more abysmal. I want you home, and to know you’re okay, and so do mom and dad. I promise you, coming home will be worth it for us.

 

[11:07 AM] Gale Daltroy: Goodbye for now.

 

He knew what he had to do as soon as he read her plea. “What does it say?” Cambria asked. Before anyone else dies to Vendetta’s oppressive tyranny, he and Renegade need to go home. “Cambria, I’m going home. It’s for the best.” He said, nearly choking on his voice. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead.

 

“I get it… Go ahead. You do what you gotta do, okay?” She sounded reluctant to let the boy go. He grinned at her and stood up from the bench. “‘I gotta go find Ren. It’ll take me back to see Gale and everyone else.” She reached out and stroked his arm. “I’m scared.” “What are you afraid of?” He said, turning around.

 

“I don’t want you to die. I don’t want Ren to die, and I don’t want to die either. What’s going to happen to us? In reality now as it is, everything just feels like a bad dream.” He grabbed her hand, clammy with fear in spite of the cold. “Never dream of dying, Cambria.” He looked her right in the eyes. ”I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He let go of her hand and speedwalked off in the direction that he came from to find Renegade, who, admittedly, was forgotten for a spare moment.

 

“Ren.” He called in a speaking, rather than calling, voice. He turned side to side and then up but all he saw was falling snowflakes. He continued to walk toward the bridge. “Ren!” He yelled. “Salem!” A robotic voice from above yelled back, almost mockingly. Salem looked up and there he saw Renegade. It was in a shortish tree with a branch extending across the path. “Get down here, we gotta go home. Gale needs our help.” Renegade grabbed on to the branch with its arms and lowered itself to the ground. “Oh, look at you, you got your suit all dirty.” Salem said as he swatted some smudges and grazed over a few scratches. “Ready to go?” It said. “Yeah. I’ll tell you the plan. Or you’ll figure it out, honestly I don’t exactly have one.” “It’s okay, dear, we’ll make it either way.” Renegade picked Salem up in the usual position. The familiar whirring and purple glow started up as Salem grabbed closer to Renegade. The whirring got louder and louder and they began to levitate. Both of them tickled with anticipation, Salem saw something that most people would rather not see when you’re about to teleport, a human figure running at them, dead on, very quickly. He wanted to yell at Renegade to watch out but it looked like it was too far into the process, with glow consuming its eyes. “Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!” The figure rolled into them forcefully, slamming the both of them backwards. At that point it was too late for the teleportation to be interrupted and then Salem was in a noisy, shaky, headaching void.

 

He finally was aware again, and that’s all that he knew. But to be more clear, he also knew that it was cold, as he was laying on the cold stone ground. He waved his hand in front of his face to wait for his vision to go back to normal. He pushed himself up right with aching arms and saw Renegade laying on the ground next to him, and, to his stupefaction, Cambria also on the ground. “Rennnnn…” He groaned. The robot batted an eye. “Why hello there.” They both looked at Cambria. She appeared to be not as dead as a dead person but not as conscious as a fully alive one. Salem crawled over Renegade and on to her. “Caaaambriiiiaaaaa…” He cooed into her ear. She opened her eyes slowly and gasped. “Gah! What just happened?” Her voice cracked and she sounded afraid. “Your first teleportation.” Renegade said, woozily. “Why did you do that? You’re in a very risky place right now!” Salem griped. “I’ll assess that. Where are we?” She sat up.

 

Renegade and Salem recognized this place as the center of the city, Salem’s home. However, it didn’t take long for them to piece it together that this image of the city was only a mirage. The tree was still in the center block. No sign of destruction anywhere. “Wait a minute…” Salem was caught off guard by how cold it was. But before he could make note of that, the sky flashed. “Did you guys see that?” Cambria asked. “Unfortunately.” Salem responded. The sky flickered off again and changed from the usual to an awful red shade. “Vendetta.” Renegade whispered. “Damn, you got me.” A feminine disembodied voice spoke up. One thing you never want to and shouldn't have to witness, ever, is the entire sky falling out, crumbling around you. Unfortunately, one couldn’t say the same for the three. They huddled into each other for protection as they saw the real city. It was awful. The sky was only heavy red tinged clouds, there were no people, only obliterated remains of civilization. Behind them was a large crater; larger than the tree that was there in the more desirable image of the city. They heard a mechanical stirring and Vendetta materialized, hovering in front of them, with its wings spread wide apart. It gazed at the three of them with unsettling, blazing red eyes that tore through Salem and Renegade’s conscience. “I see you’ve finally turned in. Looks like you’ve made the right choice, it’s high time as well, I was about to see what other information I could squeeze out of that cute family of yours.” Vendetta looked down and then, on the ground, Salem’s mom, dad, and Gale appeared being escorted by two robots that resembled Renegade wearing blue robes.

  


“You’re not gonna be squeezing anything out of anyone, you heathen!” Salem shouted, shaking himself up from the ground. But before he could get on his feet, Renegade pulled on his arm to drag him back. Gale and their parents looked at Salem silently with expressionless faces and he felt a pang of guilt. “Vendetta, I’m ready.” It said. Salem and Cambria stared at it in bewilderment. “Wow, that was easy, I didn’t think I wouldn’t have to get to the torture and interrogation part. I didn’t think I’d get this far…” Salem’s mouth fell open. After all this time, he wasn’t ready to let go. “No! You’re not ready!” He yelled. He grabbed the sides of Renegade’s face and pulled it to him. “What are you _thinking?_ ” He squealed at Renegade. Its eyes peered down into Salem’s “It’s time to let go.” It said in a lowly, melancholic tone. Salem couldn’t speak but could only mouth the word “What?”

 

“I won’t let you lay a damn wing on this robot.” Salem stood on his feet in front of Renegade. “And if you don’t let go of these innocent people, you’ll never forgive me for what I would do. I’m not living on this Earth without Ren.” He jittered. He was paralyzed in space but yet he was never more powerful before this moment. “You want a world with you and Renegade? I’ll show you just that.” It smirked. “Keep them safe for now. And take this one with you!” Vendetta looked at the robots next to it with Salem’s family and then pointed at Cambria. “Wh?!?” She hummed. “You heard me.” It said. Cambria stood up and shuffled toward the two robots. “No, Cambria…” Salem said with weariness. They nodded and Vendetta clapped once. It got closer to the two on the ground, huddled together. They felt an electric fuzz surrounding them as they closed their anxious eyes and then everything turned very bright, and then very dark, dark red. Salem suddenly found himself on a new ground. He didn’t want to open his eyes at first. He lifted his eyelids like ripping a bandaid off of a shallow wound.

 

His face was pointed down, he was sitting in rough scratchy grass. To the left of him was a tree. He looked ahead out into the horizon and took a deep gasp of air. “Ren, look!” He shook the robot, still cowered in fear. It sat up with him and saw ahead of them. Out there, ahead and above was the sky, gorgeous with the fire of the sun.

 

“This is a future with Renegade. You’ll have a few good minutes to decide what you think. Just let me know when you’re ready.” Vendetta’s condescending voice came from behind them, and then vanished. Salem looked behind them and it was nowhere to be seen.

 

Salem awed at the sky, which was painted exquisitely with the colors of a sunset. The clouds flared but never died. The rosy golden horizon brought a promising feeling of hope. It was any ordinary sunset, or, supposedly, but this one felt mystical. Even nostalgic. The spellbinding view reflected on Salem’s eyes. He felt like he should be squinting because of its brightness, but it didn’t even hurt. He broke the gaze to check on Renegade. “It’s majestic.” He turned. The light shining on Renegade’s hair was blindingly wonderful. Renegade stared into the skyline with a dead expression, to Salem’s surprise. “It is.” It responded. “What’s wrong? You know something that I don’t, don’t you?” Panic kindled inside of Salem. His mind scrambled as he tried to come up with whatever could be troubling about this scene. “The future with you and I doesn’t seem too bad, does it?” He smiled and furrowed his eyebrows, with his face aching and twitching in a show of anxiety and doubt. As he looked more at the robot, he felt worse, because he’d never seen it look this broken before. Its purple irises looked slightly less saturated, resting its head on its knees. “Look closer, Salem.” It spoke with a discontent monotone. “Wh…” He looked back at the sunset. The clouds and whatnot moved, as sunsets do. He looked rapidly back at Renegade and then at the sky again. “What are you…” There was a flash of color in the air that he didn’t quite catch. The clouds and sun moved quicker and a more blood orange hue appeared. He heard a roar in the distance and with that, he didn’t feel as safe anymore. “That’s not a real sunset.” “I know that! It’s artificial or whatever. But it still--” “Salem, please, look again. Those aren’t stars. Those are explosions.” Renegade sternly uttered.

 

He moved his gaze back forward. The image in front of him distorted and flashed like a faulty lamp before restoring itself, and then he heard more explosions. “No… What is it?” He asked frantically. He tilted his neck back and directly above them was a shot from some type of artillery flying across the sky. He and Renegade traced it with their eyes, it went directly ahead and smashed into something else that appeared to be giving off most of the fiery aura. The impact created a powerful boom that he swore he could feel in his bones. He turned to Renegade, who has its hands over its face and was rocking back and forth slowly. “Ren… It’s okay. Tell me what that is?” He asked, scooting over to him and leaning his body against the robot. It took a second to pick its head up. “I’ll show you what all of this is. Come with me.” It stood up and offered Salem a hand.

 

Renegade walked forward and down the hill with the tree. As they proceeded, the heavenly sky began to sound more like a warzone with every explosion making Salem quiver in fear and Renegade squint its eyes shut. Renegade spoke as they walked. “This is a simulation by Vendetta. However, and it pains me greatly to say, it’s not fake. This is a real future parallel that will be the result of me not returning.” Salem nodded. “And the explosions?” He questioned. “Also real. These are planets of living things being destroyed, annihilated, and the smaller ones being completely wiped from existence.” “Why would they do this to you? I just don’t see the damn importance.” “I was never supposed to be here, Salem. Not here, not with you. But I never felt right any other way.” They walked over to a stony paved road. Renegade eyed the ground and picked up a rock. It tossed it up and down, catching the rock in its hand. They continued walking down the path. The sky glitched and hissed some more.

 

“Why they would do this to me? I can’t say I understand it, either. Some things weren’t made to be understood.” Salem didn’t say a word. “I think we could all help save our world or our universe by spreading the kindness and support that came from the heart and mind of a human. I’ve always wanted to save the universe, and, well, I think this might be my time.” Salem bit his tongue. He swallowed back the pain rising in his throat. “It’s something that I want to do. And if that means that it’s time to say goodbye, I hope that you’d be okay with it.” “Ren…” He whispered. “Are you okay with it?” It asked. “I love you, Ren. I know it’ll be okay.” “I’ll never let anything bad happen to you, Salem. It’s my promise.” Renegade said. It smiled at him, lifted up its robotic arm, and lobbed the stone balled in its hand with great force into the air. The two watched it soar into the distance. When it began to fall, it hit something like an invisible wall above and ahead of them. Whatever it was, it shattered. After the rock fell, the spot in the sky began to fracture into a bunch of minuscule cracks. It glitched and pixeled in and out of view, and soon the entire span of the sky began to scintillate. The explosions sounded somehow grainier and the fire stopped. The sky shimmered and cracked and turned a rich dark blue. The ground they were standing on started to shake. Renegade’s purple aura gave light and it floated slowly up.

 

“I take it you’re all ready, I must say, I rather like the conclusion we’ve come to.” The voice had no manifestation but Salem recognized it belonged to Vendetta right away. A blinding light crashed through the fracture in the sky, and Vendetta spawned from the light. It looked larger than normal, probably about twice its size, hovering in the air in the red light with its hair and its dress flowing to a strange breeze, flapping its wings. It flew in closer to Renegade who was still ascending. It flew to Salem close enough that he could see the fractals on its soft metal wings. “Finally, no more running or hiding.” It said solemnly. “It’s time to say goodbye.” It snatched Renegade up in its hands, and before Salem could even react, they were gone, shooting through the top of the sky, leaving Salem alone in the artificial universe. Large pieces of the sky fell down and broke, and everything around Salem began to pixelate. He suddenly felt very dizzy and looked back down at his body, which also took on a pixely fuzz. Everything surrounding him, including himself, was fading. He covered his eyes and fell down but didn’t feel a thing.

 

When he uncovered his eyes, he was not there. He was in a room that he quickly recognized as the living room in his house. He heard incomprehensible voices that got quieter as he moved around and tilted his head to the source. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “Uhhhhhhhh…” The boy sat up. On the furniture surrounding him were his mom, dad, Gale, and Cambria. “Am I still alive?” He asked.

 

The room gave a hearty laugh in unison. “You’re fine, Salem. It’s okay.” Gale reassured from the sofa across from him. “Is Ren okay?” He asked, but really, he knew the answer. No one said anything. Cambria moved to the sofa he was sitting on and hugged him. She sniffled and blinked some tears out of her eyes. “Ren is gone. It’s safe, but it’s just back at home.” Gale said, putting it as nicely as she could. He felt dizzy again, so he rubbed his hand over Cambria’s, and pushed, signaling to let go. He flopped back down on the couch and lidded his eyes. “This won’t be the last you see of me, Vendetta. It’s my promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> ty for reading if you did, say some nice stuff if you like 8)
> 
> i forgot credits 
> 
> http://protovapor.tumblr.com there


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